Fetal alcohol syndrome. Hearing, speech, language, and vestibular disorders.

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) refers to a pattern of anomalies that include craniofacial, CNS, growth, and various sensory anomalies. We have observed that FAS is associated with four kinds of hearing disorders: (1) developmentally delayed auditory function, (2) sensorineural hearing loss, (3) intermittent conductive hearing loss owing to recurrent serous otitis media, and (4) central hearing loss. As is the case with other syndromes associated with craniofacial anomalies and hearing impairments, speech and language pathologies also are common in FAS patients. Although auditory and vestibular systems arise from similar embryological tissue, vestibular dysfunction is variable in FAS. Early identification and intervention to treat hearing, language, and speech problems should improve the functional level of FAS in children.